A frantic phone call about a man being held at gunpoint Wednesday afternoon sent Palos Heights police rushing to a home near 135th Street and Ridgeland Avenue—only for officers to discover the hostage situation never happened.
According to Deputy Chief Mike Yott, the call wasn’t a case of traditional “swatting” but rather a financial scam that used caller ID spoofing to trick the victim’s family into believing their loved one was in immediate danger.
“Family of our resident received a spoofed phone call to make it appear as if it was coming from our resident,” Yott said. “When the call was answered, the caller made it sound as if the resident was being held at gunpoint and would harm the resident if financial information was not provided.”
Palos Heights officers, with backup from Palos Hills, Chicago Ridge, and Crestwood police, responded immediately. The 5th District SWAT Team was also on standby.
Once on scene, officers made contact with the supposed victim, who was safe at home and completely unaware of the situation. Police had the resident step outside and cleared the house to confirm there was no actual threat.
“This is an ongoing investigation, and we will be attempting to locate information on the caller or offender through various investigative avenues,” Yott said.
Yott warned that scams are becoming more advanced, using caller ID spoofing and even artificial intelligence to create convincing deceptions.
“By creating such an emotional backstory, it makes it difficult for people to separate what is real and what is a scam,” he said. “The best advice for people is to not send financial information or money by phone, especially when they did not initiate the call. And in a case like this, notifying the police right away is important.”
The Palos Heights Police Department is continuing to investigate.
